Rhubarb and spaghetti

DAY 87 (1 JULY) – Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) (Farnham)

On April Fools’ Day 1957 there was a hoax about spaghetti growing on trees. Well, it turns out to be true. Here is a rhubarb-spaghetti tree. Or just what a Virginia creeper looks like very close up. I found this one hugging the wall of a restaurant – and itself.

Today I learnt that ‘parthenocissus‘ is Greek for ‘virgin ivy’. (So the Parthenon means ‘unmarried woman’s apartments‘.) Part of the grape (not ivy) family, it’s native to parts of North America down to Guatemala. Apparently the native Americans used it to cure “difficult urination” and ‘lockjaw”, though hopefully not at the same time.